The Morning GIF: Cephalopodoptera

Here at the Daily Dot, we swap GIF images with each other every morning. Now we’re looping you in. In the Morning GIF, we feature a popular—or just plain cool—GIF we found on Reddit, Canvas, or elsewhere on the Internet.

The world of cryptozoology has long needed an artist worthy of its unbelievably astonishing subjects; for decades, its most famous images have been fuzzy, poorly composed, or even loathsomely unspeakable. For animals of true mystery and majesty, a fitting portraitist is essential. At last, that man has been found.

Finland-based Serbian artist Vladimir Stankovic is to cryptids as John James Audubon was to the birds of America. Discovering (some would say “inventing”) an entirely new order of creature, the Cephalodoptera, he has immortalized these ephemeral creatures in GIFs.

As he explains on his Behance site, where the specimens are showcased:

Cephalopodoptera is a newly discovered order of species, a link between molluscs and insects. They live in the deepest underwater caves of the oceans worldwide. With the characteristics and intelligence of moths, beetles, octopuses and squid, these animals have managed to remain hidden for centuries. As we speak, tests and experiments are being carried out in order to know more about these mysterious and elusive creatures…

This is clearly an important discovery, both for the world of cryptozoology and for the art world. It’s difficult to say which is harder to make an impression on.